School board presents its budget

Published: Tuesday, July 22, 2014 at 10:14 p.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, July 22, 2014 at 10:14 p.m.

Superintendent of Schools George Tomyn presented his 2014-15 budget to the School Board on Tuesday, a plan that’s 4 percent larger than last year’s budget.

The district’s $474.9 million 2014-15 budget is $18.1 million more than in 2013-14, according to district documents released on Tuesday.

Of that overall budget, $331.7 million was earmarked for its general revenue fund — $18.5 million more than in 2013-14.

Much of that extra money will pay for higher utility and fuel costs, not to mention the annual rise in health insurance premiums.

The district also recently had to budget $1.75 million to pay for five “Extended Learning Schools.” The schools finished in the Bottom 300 in the state in terms of lackluster reading scores and must each add one hour of extra reading intervention to its curriculum.

The district is also planning to hire more teachers and 55 more teachers’ aides, known as paraprofessionals, in hopes of getting closer to meeting the state class-size amendment caps: 18 in grades K-3, 22 in grades 4-8 and 25 in core high school classes.

Tomyn will unveil details of his budget and share how the district will be using the extra $18.5 million in operational dollars during four scheduled August budget work sessions.

Last year, Marion was the state’s worst violator of the class-size amendment. District officials saved $7.4 million by paying a state penalty instead of hiring 185 teachers needed to meet the state requirement.

This year, the district has declared itself an open enrollment district, which means it can use schoolwide averages instead of the stricter class-by-class caps.

The district recommended a 2014-15 millage rate of 7.298, just under the 2013-14 rate of 7.339. That means in 2014-15, taxpayers will pay $729.80 per $100,000 of taxable property value — $4.10 less than in 2013-14.

On July 29, the board will hold a public hearing to officially set the proposed millage rate, even though districts around the state have limited jurisdiction to change them without being hit with a state financial penalty.

The School Board’s scheduled workshops will be held every Thursday in August. The board will vote on the final budget on Sept. 9 at its regularly scheduled board meeting.

Here’s how the millage rate breaks down:

The required local effort was set by the state at 5.022 mills for 2014-15, which means the average property owner will pay $502.20 per every $100,000 in taxable property value.

The 2014-15 funding adjustment millage was set at 0.028 mills, which works out to $2.80 per $100,000 of property value, up from $2.50 last year.

The state also set the district’s discretionary millage at 0.748 mills, which works out to $74.80 per $100,000 of taxable property value, the same as 2013-14.

The final component of the overall rate is the local capital improvement millage, which is primarily used to pay off debt. It remained the same at 1.5 mills, or $150 per every $100,000 in taxable property value.

Contact Joe Callahan at 867-4113 or joe.callahan@starbanner.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoeOcalaNews.

<p>Superintendent of Schools George Tomyn presented his 2014-15 budget to the School Board on Tuesday, a plan that's 4 percent larger than last year's budget.</p><p>The district's $474.9 million 2014-15 budget is $18.1 million more than in 2013-14, according to district documents released on Tuesday.</p><p>Of that overall budget, $331.7 million was earmarked for its general revenue fund — $18.5 million more than in 2013-14.</p><p>Much of that extra money will pay for higher utility and fuel costs, not to mention the annual rise in health insurance premiums.</p><p>The district also recently had to budget $1.75 million to pay for five “Extended Learning Schools.” The schools finished in the Bottom 300 in the state in terms of lackluster reading scores and must each add one hour of extra reading intervention to its curriculum.</p><p>The district is also planning to hire more teachers and 55 more teachers' aides, known as paraprofessionals, in hopes of getting closer to meeting the state class-size amendment caps: 18 in grades K-3, 22 in grades 4-8 and 25 in core high school classes.</p><p>Tomyn will unveil details of his budget and share how the district will be using the extra $18.5 million in operational dollars during four scheduled August budget work sessions.</p><p> Last year, Marion was the state's worst violator of the class-size amendment. District officials saved $7.4 million by paying a state penalty instead of hiring 185 teachers needed to meet the state requirement.</p><p>This year, the district has declared itself an open enrollment district, which means it can use schoolwide averages instead of the stricter class-by-class caps.</p><p>The district recommended a 2014-15 millage rate of 7.298, just under the 2013-14 rate of 7.339. That means in 2014-15, taxpayers will pay $729.80 per $100,000 of taxable property value — $4.10 less than in 2013-14.</p><p>On July 29, the board will hold a public hearing to officially set the proposed millage rate, even though districts around the state have limited jurisdiction to change them without being hit with a state financial penalty.</p><p>The School Board's scheduled workshops will be held every Thursday in August. The board will vote on the final budget on Sept. 9 at its regularly scheduled board meeting.</p><p>Here's how the millage rate breaks down:</p><p>The required local effort was set by the state at 5.022 mills for 2014-15, which means the average property owner will pay $502.20 per every $100,000 in taxable property value.</p><p>The 2014-15 funding adjustment millage was set at 0.028 mills, which works out to $2.80 per $100,000 of property value, up from $2.50 last year.</p><p>The state also set the district's discretionary millage at 0.748 mills, which works out to $74.80 per $100,000 of taxable property value, the same as 2013-14.</p><p>The final component of the overall rate is the local capital improvement millage, which is primarily used to pay off debt. It remained the same at 1.5 mills, or $150 per every $100,000 in taxable property value.</p><p><i>Contact Joe Callahan at 867-4113 or joe.callahan@starbanner.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoeOcalaNews.</i></p>